This is the late chief minister of Tamilnadu, India, Dr. M.G. Ramachandran. He lived his life the way he portrayed in his movies. He is still adored by millions and millions of people in Tamilnadu and is considered one of the legend of all times. I am one of his fan too. His songs are full of good messages and lived his life that way... Great Man.

Please stop by and take a few minutes to see the pictures...

Look at the children....

Friends, LET US MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

"We are the world

We are the children

We are the ones who make a brighter day

So let's start givin'..."

   - From the song "We Are The World" - USA For Africa

If only I could get an education and live like other children...

Halloween

Is Halloween approved by the Roman Catholic Church? I see many churches approving it. Does the Holy Scriptures approve this?

- Tony AJ

Mom Sweet Mom

                        I always wondered the love of mom, which, to me, is still a subject that I cherish with all my heart. She was always there to guide me and showed love and care. A mother's love is something special and so unique. Mothers, generally, are so caring and loving. I was also blessed with a wonderful mom, who, until this day, shows her relentless love and care.

                        I lucidly remember the days where she took me to the hospital, to the school, to church, to grandma's house, etc. Those tender loving hands strengthened and encouraged me all throughout my life. I could like to recount an event in my childhood days where I tried to make a ruckus with my mom about a toothache. Anyways, the plan was thwarted. I pretended to have a toothache just to take leave from school and made all the "ah ahhhh" sounds in bed. I told mom that I have a severe toothache and is hurting. She took me to the hospital that morning to the dentist. I was happy at the very thought of not going to school. After seeing the dentist who prescribed some pills (as usual the default vitamins, which is a placebo), my mom took me to a roadside four-wheeler where they sell bonda, vadai, samosa (these are some of the Indian snacks) tea etc. She got me a bonda (yes, it rhymes with Jane Fonda and Honda) and a tea. I was happy, but was short-lived. She took me directly to the school after that.   

                       Once, she also found all the tables of math from 1 to 12 on the wall, a couple of days after I said those by heart, to her. I could still see the effects of that because I count using my fingers (if it is 10 and below). If more than 20, toes come in. The coins that I stole from her purse to buy "kamburkkat
(a hard candy made of jaggery) kodal , theyen muttai (honey candy, but is filled with sugar syrup), elentha vadai etc. I was so naughty and I love the way that I am. I am naughty and nice.

                       My mother's smile always brought me joy and happiness. I could always see her innocent loving smile all the time no matter where I am. It is hard to fathom the love of a mother. I need to be with her always and forever. I consider myself blessed with such a sweet mom so loving and caring. I always thank my Creator, Jehovah, for her. Mom, my sweet mom.

                                                            (wrote this after a couple of rounds of VSOP) - Tony AJ

Angel investor

I am looking for an angel investor.

                                                 - Tony Alapatt

Intelligent Design - Tony Alapatt Jos

We live in a beautiful planet, earth; that sustains our lives and gives all that it has to offer. The soft glow of the moon and the twinkling stars, the sun which is though millions of miles away gives us the adequate amount of heat and light, the birds that fly in the air, fish in the sea, the vast expanse of the sky, the seasons, fruits, the color and pattern of the flowers, ice-capped mountains, tall trees, etc,. It makes me wonder with awe when I think about our earth. It is so intricate to comprehend about this make-up of this world, which is, yet, so wonderfully designed.

A stroll in the countryside and listening to the chirping of the birds will roll away our pensive mood and really brings us cheer and joy. We are busy these days with the Internet and mobile phones, and we are missing out the social life with the world. Though these inventions have made the world smaller by length and breath, we are missing a significant portion of our life with this world. There are many breathtaking places that makes us think that there is an intelligent creator behind this. From what I could perceive this world, I can consciously say there is a master-worker behind this creation of earth.

McDowell Forest Preserve, Naperville, IL

- Tony Alapatt Jos

Commented on Julia Williamson's blog

I have posted a comment on Julia Williamson's blog called "Mom. Opt For Breast Feeding!"

Her blog site is "http://juliawilliamson.blogspot.com/"

Commented on Michael-martinelli's blog

I have commented on Michael-Martinelli's blog called "This Class is Drivin' me Bananas."

His blog site is "http://michael-martinelli.blogspot.com/"

Thank you,
Tony Alapatt

Commented on Racquel's blog

I have commented on Racquel's blog called "My Sister."

"Racquel23.blogspot.com"

Thank you,

Tony Alapatt

Visibly Invisible

                 I am a great admirer of the NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration). It is a branch of the US government, which explores the space and spends billions of dollars for its space research program. The greatest landmark of the NASA was when astronauts landed on moon in 1969. It is a great feat for the whole of mankind. The pictures and videos of the moon with crates, the orange-colored mars, the halo around the Saturn, etc., always made me wonder about the creation. But of late, something else woke me up and stirred my awareness – the microorganisms.

              My microbiology subject that I am taking this fall made me understand what are microorganisms and its role. The study of these microscopic organisms pushed me to the edge. In the book, there were pictures of our earth covered almost by water, and, of course, that is what we see from space because of the fact that three-fourths of the earth is covered with water. But pictures, on the microbiology book, taken from space showed some swirls of green blanket covering half of the earth. Yes, they were phytoplankton – a term used for these aquatic plants, which uses the sunlight to produce energy and oxygen. The green color is because of the presence of chloroplast, an enzyme, present in them. These enzymes trap the sunlight and produce energy and release oxygen to the atmosphere that is essential for survival for any life forms including us. These microorganisms are so tiny that we need a light microscope to see these organisms, hence, the name microorganisms.

             Microbiology helped me to understand their significant role in this universe. Microorganisms help us in more ways than one. They help the earth in many ways. These invisible creatures, though invisible to our naked eyes, are responsible for “biodegradation” – cleaning up the decomposed matter, giving out oxygen and energy, in producing medicines etc,. If not for these tiny creatures, we are prone to get air‑borne diseases from decayed matter. They also help us to stabilize our ecosystem. But, they are also harmful in some ways like they cause infectious diseases which, if left uncared, could be fatal. When we compare the uses of it, the good things of the microbes far outweigh the harmful nature of it. Like a pre‑programmed creatures, they do the vital job for us and all these years we do not see them work. Does an average person know that these invisible creatures are doing so many good things useful for mankind and for our very own survival?

                                                                                                  - Tony Alapatt

My Trip to Wisconsin

                          I have been reminded of how beautiful our planet is. During the Labor Day holiday, my wife and I went to Wisconsin to visit some of our friends. On our way, we drove through the countryside of Wisconsin. I saw acres and acres of corn and soy beans. For some, it might be just a land of isolation, but for me as I strolled through the countryside, I felt serene, peaceful, and joyous. How beautiful it is to be away from all the chaos of the city life; how beautiful it is to hear the birds chirp in the trees, and how beautiful to listen to the wind as it swept through the trees. In the night, the moonlight filled the skies. I was able to see crystal clear shimmering lights of the stars. The stars were shining bright and the moon has never been so bright. How it reminded me of my native place, Kerala. Although far away, being in the countryside makes me feel that I am right at home.

- Tony Alapatt

Rewind

Every day is beautiful. The mornings brought me so much of energy for the rest of the day. Every morning is so vibrant with all the living things full of life from the tiniest of the organisms to the big blue whale. It was just like any other beautiful morning that I woke up with the same rays of sunlight falling on me. I curved my face and adjusted my pupils. The rays were my morning alarms. I walked unsteadily to the bathroom. I rolled up the end of the tube and took the brush in an effort to get the last blob of paste. Doing all kinds of funny expressions in front of the mirror to see my teeth, I began to brush with all motions from linear to sweeping and from inside to outside. A few minutes later, I took a deep breath to get the mint in me, which used to linger until my first cup of tea. When I turned to go from the mirror, I was caught off guard as my eyes caught my eyes. I noticed lines at the end of my eyes, which I barely noticed all these years. I felt a little alarmed. Everyone hated to see that little bit of network on their face and I was not an exception. I looked into the mirror for some time and clearly noticed lines branching out at the end of the eyes and with every shrink, it gave out more. It gave me a jolt. My once charming face now showed signs of age.

I took my cup of hot tea and sat on the old wooden chair, which was smooth with a waxy look from years. I sat and began to think about the lines deeply, which, I felt, it appeared suddenly. When I realized that I came thus far to see the lines on my eyes, my feelings and emotions played hide and seek. The lines told me that I am a little old. The lines on my face made me to think about my younger years. Silently I was reminiscing about my wonder years with every sip I took. My mind wandered to various stages of my life. It went from school-hood days to the recent days, which was very lucid in my mind. I thought about the days I went to school in the uniforms, remembered few of my classmates by names, the days I played in the hot sun, collecting coins and trading them for electronic gadgets at school, playing video games for hours, going to church with my family, the severe toothache, stashing snacks, stealing all the money that my hands could lay on and buying candies from the shops, etc. The exam holidays when I was in school doubled my excitement for the fact that I knew my parents will not ask me to study. Listening to the songs with my siblings and helping out mom in the kitchen, the days where our family sat together every Sunday for lunch came into mind and that gave me a pleasant feeling. My transition to college days gave me more excitement and I was taking things on my own. Never a day passed by without talking about girls and movies in the college. We talked less of the subjects and more of trivial things. I remembered the days where we used go to the restroom, comb our hair to look tidy and trim to win over the girls, who did not mind. When all these came live to me and was enjoying the feeling, I could hardly hear my own dog, Jimmy, barking. I took another sip of the tea and brought to my mind my comics which I read and enjoyed it over and over again. The Adventures of Tintin were my favorite comics. I remembered how we used to exchange and enjoyed reading it. The Hardy Boys were hot during my school days. I liked it thought I could not understand the meaning of the hard words. These books were a common sight in the library and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The Hardy Boys were hardbound then versus paperbound these days. I still have the whole collection of “The Adventures of Tintin, which I enjoy to this very moment and it always brought good wonderful old memories to me.

All these old memories brought joy to my heart. I could see myself smiling now and then. I felt happy when I thought about those precious times growing up. I still feel that I want to live in those days again. The thought of my younger years brought immense pleasure and made me light. I suddenly felt I missed a significant part of my life as a child. I felt I want my childhood back. When I remembered those wonder years as a teenager and the things I did, it gave me a wonderful feeling that I still now find hard to explain. I told to myself, “I want to be like Peter Pan,” where he does not want to grow up. If only I could. Those are the years that give me so much joy and happiness and I was wild free and cared nothing as I was under the wings of my parents. If only I could rewind my years, I love to travel back to those wonderful times and remain there forever where there were no Internet and mobile phones. When I took the last sip of the cold tea and saw Jimmy prancing around wagging its tail, I got up and tossed the cup in the sink and walked away.

- Tony Alapatt

Commented on Julia Williamson's blog

I have commented on Julia Williamson's blog. To see the comment, please copy and past the link below on your web browser:
http://juliawilliamson.blogspot.com

Thank you,
Tony Alapatt

Good Old Earth

We live in a beautiful planet, earth; that sustains our lives and gives all that it has to offer. The soft glow of the moon and the twinkling stars, the sun which is though millions of miles away gives us the adequate amount of heat and light, the birds that fly in the air, fish in the sea, the vast expanse of the sky, the seasons, fruits, the color and pattern of the flowers, ice-capped mountains, tall trees, etc,. It makes me wonder with awe when I think about our earth. It is so intricate to comprehend about this make-up of this world, which is, yet, so wonderfully designed.

A stroll in the countryside and listening to the chirping of the birds will roll away our pensive mood and really brings us cheer and joy. We are busy these days with the Internet and mobile phones, and we are missing out the social life with the world. Though these inventions have made the world smaller by length and breath, we are missing a significant portion of our life with this world. There are many breathtaking places that makes us think that there is an intelligent creator behind this. From what I could perceive this world, I can consciously say there is a master-worker behind this creation of earth.

- Tony Alapatt (RHT-070)

Performing Arts

I am Tony Alapatt Jos from Coimbatore, India. Presently, living in Chicago.

My mind always says "acting is wonderful and is an art." I follow it very closely. We are acting in many ways than one - be at home, workplace, or even at a church gathering. Acting has been a part of our lives. Some do it on the screen and many do the act live in life.

Even, I wondered "why not I act and take it as a career" or why not direct some serials or talk show and sent across the message that I wanted to share. I very rarely see movies in theater. The last movie I saw on the theater was "Jurassic Park" at Archana Theater in Coimbatore. Of course, I have seen many movies on TV but that was on the big screens.

I want to try some acting. I have the passion but have not acted anywhere other than the act that I perform at home and that is everyday.

Tony Alapatt